Southern California man jailed after Highway 101 pursuit, standoff

A Southern California man involved in a 50-mile pursuit partly along Highway 101 and subsequent two-hour standoff near Geyserville remained in custody Friday at the Sonoma County Jail, CHP officials said.

Dean William Beaman, 61, of Hawthorne in Los Angeles County, was “screaming and acting extremely aggressive” while officers tried to talk him into exiting the vehicle, which was stopped at a gated driveway on Dutcher Creek Road near Geyserville, Officer Jon Sloat said.

After more than two hours with a team of law enforcement officials trying to coax him out of the car - and after a round of pepper-spray balls fired at the vehicle - Beaman exited the car and surrendered, following officers’ orders to lie on the ground, Sloat said.

The pursuit started about 3 p.m. Thursday when Marin CHP officers saw a 1999 gray Saturn sedan driving on the right shoulder of northbound Highway 101 near the Redwood Landfill in Novato and making other reckless maneuvers, Sloat said.

With heavy traffic heading into Sonoma County, the officers backed off, alerting local law enforcement to keep watch for the Saturn.

An officer spotted the vehicle on the highway near Bicentennial Way in Santa Rosa and began following it, with a CHP plane crew aiding officers on the ground.

The Saturn exited the highway at South Cloverdale Boulevard, ran a stop sign and headed west.

Officers in patrol cars, with lights and sirens activated, followed the vehicle as it continued, turning onto Dutcher Creek Road and stopping at the gated driveway.

The driver, later identified as Beaman, refused to follow commands and appeared agitated, screaming and at one point holding a knife, according to Sloat.

He refused offers of water and wouldn’t get out of the car for more than two hours, Sloat said.

After he surrendered, Beaman was taken to Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital because of his exposure to the pepper spray and for a mental health evaluation, Sloat said.

He was released and booked into the jail in lieu of $30,000 bail on suspicion of felony reckless evasion of law enforcement, misdemeanor resisting arrest and a $20,000 arrest warrant out of Los Angeles County related to a public intoxication case, jail records show.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.